Tagged: cannabidiol

During a cardiac emergency, the sudden stoppage of blood flow puts severe stress on the rest of the body. During a cardiac arrest, valuable oxygen and nutrients are cut off. The real damage occurs when the person is revived and the blood flow returns. The quick influx of blood flow often causes injury to the ischemia region of the brain. This secondary damage is referred to as ischemia/reperfusion injury. The result is severe oxidation damage that can trigger neurons to die off.

Chinese researchers from the Fudan University in Shanghai have found a way to protect against this oxidative damage and prevent the neurons from dying off. For the first time, researchers have shown that cannabidiol (CBDs) can protect against brain ischemia/reperfusion injury. Cannabidiol is one of the many cannabinoids found in the controversial cannabis sativa plant. An extract of cannabis contains at least 40 percent cannabidiol. This active ingredient may soon be used as an extract in hospital emergency rooms to prevent brain damage following heart attack or stroke.

While the United Kingdom has recently made a tremendous leap forward by acknowledging the unparalleled medicinal benefits of CBD oil, the good old United States continues to lag behind at an embarrassingly slow, essentially backwards pace.

Prior to the UK unveiling its decision to reclassify CBD oil as a medicine, the Drug Enforcement Agency in the US recently declared that the substance was equivalent to heroin by placing it in the same, heavily restricted class — Schedule I. Continue reading →